Giving Back to Communities Isn’t Just the Right Thing to Do, It Makes Business Sense, Too

When a company says it’s giving back to its community, it can be talking about a wide range of initiatives, from investing in local resources to empowering employees to volunteer for projects that are meaningful to them.

At CSC, we know that resourcing such initiatives is the right thing to do. It’s built into our DNA. And it supports Our Purpose—to create an environment in which people, partners, clients, and communities will be better off tomorrow than they are today.

We don’t do these things just because it’s what everyone else does or to check a box on some list. We genuinely want people to welcome us into their communities. We want our employees to be proud to work for CSC, knowing we support their efforts to give back to causes that are important to them. And we want our clients to value our commitment to being a responsible corporate citizen.

CSC also believes that giving back yields good outcomes that lead to business growth and success. We develop our programs deliberately and conscientiously, measure their results, and communicate their benefits to all our stakeholders.

Making the right choices

Our status as a 126-year-old privately held business means we’re focused on more than the bottom line—it means we can keep doing what’s best for our people and our clients, without distraction.

It also means that we take a long-term view not only for our business, but for our employees and communities as well. We’re a people-centered, values-driven organization, and this extends to our Thrive ’25 Mission, which is based on three aspirations:

• Build: Do things that matter.

• Lead: Set the standard.

• Transcend: Go beyond limits.

Over the years, CSC has introduced a series of initiatives under three broad headings: the CSC Gives Back philanthropic program, the Diversity and Belonging program, and, most recently, the Sustainability program.

In March this year, we published an annual report, “Our Impact,” that brings together the outcomes of all three programs. The report reflects the progress we’ve made to date, the work we’re doing now, and our aspirations for the future.

Success stories

An example of our initiatives is our partnership with Kiva, a nonprofit organization that facilitates microlending to entrepreneurs and small businesses in underserved communities around the globe.

We gave each of our colleagues $25 to donate through Kiva and encouraged them to continue donating at their discretion. As a result, Kiva has disbursed $343,975 in microloans over the past couple of years to more than 11,000 entrepreneurs in nearly 60 countries. The majority (88.4%) of borrowers in this initiative were women, working in sectors such as health, agriculture, and education.

Another example is our collaboration with Junior Achievement (JA), an organization that works with young people to enable them to own their economic and academic success—with a focus on work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy.

One of the most recent initiatives is our new global Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) partnership, which will have activities in most of CSC’s locations. RMHC provides essential support and housing to families whose children are facing life-threatening or chronic illnesses that mean long stays in hospital. We’re very proud to be able to play a part in keeping families together during difficult times, thanks to RMHC’s meaningful work.

The “Our Impact” report helps us tell these stories to our stakeholders. It’s one source where people can see the reach of our initiatives, and it lets us demonstrate accountability for our decisions.

Building momentum

As we grow, we want to have a positive influence on all the communities where we operate. People read stories in “Our Impact” about their colleagues’ activities in other communities and are inspired to participate in those activities at home. By spreading the word and motivating people to adapt ideas for their own markets, the report creates a wave of good energy.

At CSC we feel a sense of responsibility—across all of our global offices—to the people around us. It goes beyond the four walls of our offices and the services that we offer. It’s clear to me that our giving back initiatives are the right thing to do, and we’re always careful to ensure that we are making a real difference with the activities we choose to support. I also believe our initiatives help attract the best people to work with us, while appealing to clients who see the value in what we do.

I’d love to hear back from my CSC colleagues on any projects you’re passionate about that could be folded into our philanthropic initiative, or if you’ve read about an activity in “Our Impact” that you could replicate in your region. Let me know in the comments section below. I promise to read all your ideas and suggestions.